74 per cent of UK publishers have optimised the majority of their portfolios for mobile, according to a report by the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) – and 90 per cent are now implementing responsive design in their brand development.

Based on a census of 32 UK publishers, including News UK, Condé Nast and Bauer Media, the study also found that the mobile web is seen as the biggest area of opportunity, with 69 per cent saying this would be a focus over the next 12 months.

However, 60 per cent identified a lack of mobile skills within their teams, with monetisation still the biggest concern.

50 per cent identified programmatic buying as a major opportunity for increasing revenue and efficiency – up from 42 per cent last year – and scepticism around the technology, although still present, is dropping – from 39 per cent in 2013 to 23 per cent.

The research was announced at the AOP Autumn Conference event in London, followed by debate between publishers and agencies on the findings.

“If you look at revenue growth, much of it is coming through programmatic,” said News UK director of ad strategy Abba Newbery. “Its great for improved efficiency and automation, but the challenge is that programmatic is ultimately cold, hard trading. It doesnt appreciate environment or the user engagement with content that can make advertising more effective.”